I finish up with AIA today; new role at SRO on Monday. I hope it works out well – really want to give BCV – MST now – studies a more fair dinkum effort.
Month: January 2011
Come On Down Under
I wrote this email to some relatives more than 6 months ago, and thought I’d put it up here again…
Hi everyone
How are you guys doing? I know I have said this before but you should seriously consider, if at all possible, coming Down Under. Look at this:
1. Malaysia isn’t getting any better – the good old evils of corruption and discrimination are still so strong after so many years. Najib’s record and the Perkasa nonsense are clear examples. They are continuing trends which have been in place for many years.
2. Malaysian Minister (Idris Jala) himself said Malaysia is facing bankruptcy in 9 years. I know this is scare tactics to push through subsidy cutbacks but it is also true that Malaysia hasn’t developed any competitive advantages for many years now. Unless true meritocracy kicks in, the competitive advantage will always be second rate. Meritocracy will not happen – see the resistance to the NEM.
3. Education prospects in Malaysia are getting harder – more expensive without increase in quality. Graduates of Malaysian universities of today are no where near the qualities of before. Kids may score 10, 11 or 12 A’s but that doesn’t take them anywhere. Malaysian marks are increasingly meaningless because they are designed to make the government and Malay students look better than they really are.
4. Immigration will only get harder. Who is to say your kids will continue to have the same opportunities to migrate next time, if Malaysia continues to deteriorate and they want to leave? Windows are still open now but are narrowing.
5. Australia is in no way a great country. It has many problems, but (I believe) it is far better than Malaysia, especially for the kids’ education. Primary education in Malaysia is better than in Australia but after that Malaysia lags behind badly. Australia has it problems in schools and communities but no where the levels of these problems in Malaysia.
See story below – everyone depend on WiFi these days, and it is a technology invented/discovered in Australia. Life is different in so many ways but at least we give our kids a better fighting chance to develop well.
Australian CSIRO Story
Australia’s peak science body stands to reap more than $1 billion from its lucrative Wi-Fi patent after already netting about $250 million from the world’s biggest technology companies, an intellectual property lawyer says.
The CSIRO has spent years battling 14 technology giants including Dell, HP, Microsoft, Intel, Nintendo and Toshiba for royalties and made a major breakthrough in April last year when the companies opted to avoid a jury hearing and settle for an estimated $250 million.
Now, the organisation is bringing the fight to the top three US mobile carriers in a new suit targeting Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile. It argues they have been selling devices that infringe its patents.
CSIRO, which is also now targeting Lenovo, Sony and Acer in new cases, says mathematical equations in its patents form the basis of Wi-Fi technology used in a whole slew of technology products including smartphones, laptops, routers and games consoles.
“CSIRO is poised to hit a home run … any company using Wi-Fi technology has no choice but to pay up,” said Trevor Choy, an intellectual property lawyer with Choy Lawyers.
“The widespread usage of the technology means that a few cents per customer / data volume usage could easily add up to a lazy billion or more.
“The fact that the court case is happening in the US is also good because US courts don’t shy away from awarding big damages figures.”
In a phone interview today, CSIRO’s commercial executive director, Nigel Poole, said the Wi-Fi patent was the CSIRO’s most lucrative yet but he would not comment on expected windfalls or on whether the next targets could be Apple, RIM and Nokia.
He pointed out that the existing cases could take a while to go through the courts unless the companies opted to settle.
“Every single company that sells products with Wi-Fi in them we would like to have a licence with … [but] there’s a practical limit to that – one of them is that there are very small or niche companies that are not going to sell very many units,” Poole said.
“There is another limit which is we only hold patents in 19 countries and so there are many countries where we don’t hold patents including Russia and China.
“After that it’s a practicality process of trying to license an entire industry.”
For as long as CSIRO has been fighting the tech giants, the targets of the suits have been battling to have the 1996 patent declared invalid, without much success.
Jim FitzSimons, an intellectual property lawyer and partner at Clayton Utz, said he did not know the specifics on CSIRO’s patent but in general the first court case that tested any patent was “extremely important”.
“The fact that they decided to settle … they could only have done it on the basis that they were going to lose,” he said, referring to the settlements with CSIRO in April last year.
Sydney CSIRO researcher John O’Sullivan, the man who came up with the theories behind the Wi-Fi patent, was awarded the $300,000 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science in October last year.
He and his team of inventors also won the CSIRO Chairman’s Medal last year and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) Clunies Ross Award last month.
The patent, which is owned by CSIRO, had its genesis in a 1977 paper O’Sullivan wrote about how a set of mathematical equations could be used to sharpen images from optical telescopes. He developed it while searching for exploding black holes.
“By the late 1980s, we started looking at the growth of computer networking,” O’Sullivan told The Sun-Herald in December last year.
“It was several years before the worldwide web, there was just email and specialised computer services. But I started thinking that if you could just cut the wires and have portable computing, able to access networks at full data rates, there would be huge potential.”
The CSIRO first applied for its Australian Wi-Fi patent in 1992, which solved the problem of patchy wireless reception caused by waves bouncing off objects.
“We realised this was going to be big,” he said. “But I don’t think any of us realised how big.”
Source: smh.com.au
Najib Wants to Know the Real Truth? Us Too! About Altantuya Shaaribu!
The Malaysian PM, professed thus: “We also want to know the real truth”
He was on a campaign trail for a by-election and was anticipating the issue of the death of Teoh Beng Hock at the office of the Malaysian anti-corruption agency, MACC.
Actually, I think Malaysians agree that the PM should be concerned with wanting to know the real truth. He should enlighten Malaysians especially, on the circumstances surrounding the death of Altantuya Shaaribu. The aspersions cast on Najib Razak from the death of Altantuya Shaaribu suggests there are lingering doubts and he would always be seen as somehow involved, and one always wonders if he was in fact responsible.
Najib Razak, like you we also want to know the real truth. Not just about Teoh Beng Hock but also about Altantuya Shaaribu.
Danny Nalliah and the Floods, Duck, and well done, Msian Cops
It has been a dark 24 hours Down Under. In fact this summer has felt distinctly gloomy. It was cool and cloudy for many days, the Ashes was a wash out and now the catastrophic floods in Queensland with the spectre of the same scenario in parts of Victoria.
True to form, Danny Nalliah has delivered as expected and penned some pretty amazing stuff linking Rudd’s impulse calls to Israel re nuke facilities inspection, to the Queensland floods. When will this brother cease to provide ammunition to his critic? I hope anyone who has Danny Nalliah’s ear to counsel him. He would not permit adverse comments on his blog so he needs someone to speak to him directly. Danny Nalliah needs to seek the Lord on what his ministry is and be obedient to that calling and not stray outside his area because when he does, it tends to bring shame to the name of the Lord, not glory.
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Last night Gerry, Jesslyn and little Sheanne and ourselves went to this restaurant on Middleborough Road, and enjoyed very delicious Peking Duck. Simon’s Duck has a tremendous reputation and it was well deserved. The service was quick and friendly, the atmosphere in the restaurant was bubbly but not overly loud, and the duck was really good. We ordered a couple of other dishes (beef and flounder fillets) which were alright but the by far the duck was the main attraction.
To Tress and my surprise, Simon’s Duck was the new place, replacing “Natraz”, an Indian restaurant we had been to several times. Natraz served very good north Indian food but for some inexplicable reasons, the place was always quiet. Simon’s Duck was by far a lot busier last night.
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It was a pleasant surprise when I looked up Malaysiakini this morning. 5 police officers have been charged (http://malaysiakini.com/news/153096) for the bloody-minded assault of a man (http://godsmustardseed.com/2011/01/05/malaysian-police-when-is-it-enough/). I am hoping this isn’t triggered by the general elections which have been rumoured to be just around the corner, and is an indication of sorts, that the police in Malaysia recognises this simply can’t go on and someone has to be brought to book.
Flood and the passing of Winters
There is now a major catastrophe in Queensland, brought about by the floods. Toowoomba was severely affected yesterday, along with the tiny town of Grantham. About an hour ago, Brisbane has been hit, with the CBD evacuated. The Brisbane office of my company has been closed indefinitely and everyone has been asked to go home.
To add to this dark note, Richard Winters the soldier at the centre of the Band of Brothers, has died, aged 92. He was the super cool and very decent leader of the soldiers who fought in the last days of World War II in Europe and went on to the pacific campaign thereafter.
What a day 11-1-11 has turned out to be…
11-1-11
it’s 11-1-11 today or if you prefer, 1-11-11
Time Wth Friends
Another weekend in this languid but cool summer, another weekend of eating and catching up with friends.
On Sat we met up with Elijah Chew and Amy in their home in Mulgrave, together with their 6 kids and 2 other families. They had invited us to lunch to sort of thank those who helped them when Elijah was unwell and in hospital. Ing Tung and Chin Moi as well as Alfred and Catherine were also there and it was just great catching up with them again, having not seen them for a few months now. These were all friends we made in university and they are all just genuine, simple and great people. Elijah is a pastor now in Doveton and he is still recovering so we thought we’d leave early so he could rest and get ready for Sunday, which should be a really busy day for him. We adjourned to Alfred and Catherine’s new home, also in Mulgrave and chatted again over a beer till well past 6.
Last night we were at Choy and Sharon’s in Warrandyte. They are house sitting (on a long term basis) a biggish home which backs into a reserve with a herd of kangaroos running (hopping) around. The Foo’s and Hii’s were there with us and it was another session of eating and talking together.
Ibrahim Ali and His Race Tinted Glasses
See this from Malaysiakini today. I dont know how Malaysians continue to stomach this utter waste of space named Ibrahim Ali and his band of mutant followers.
Malay rights pressure group Perkasa has urged the federal government not to proceed with its plan to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry into political aide Teoh Beng Hock’s death.
At a press conference today, Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali (right) said there was no need for the commission because the inquest had already declared an open verdict on his cause of death.
“We should all just leave it to the police to handle the matter and take action against the guilty party,” said Ibrahim.
Given that the courts had already decided on the matter, having the commission to probe the matter was tantamount to disrespecting the courts and a waste of public funds.
“(What) if this commission does work? What else will we establish next?” Ibrahim asked.
Ibrahim salutes PM
He explained that the inquest will serve no purpose because the matter had already been presented in an open court.
“Of course we are saddened about his passing but this should not be the way,” he said.
Ibrahim adds that the establishment of the commission would also serve as fodder for the opposition.
Despite his criticisms on the commission, Ibrahim commended Najib for attempting to show that his administration was transparent.
“For that I salute him,” said Ibrahim.
On Wednesday, Coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas declared an open verdict on Teoh’s cause of death after an 18-month inquest.
Following this, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today announced that a Royal Commission of Inquiry would be established to determine if Teoh’s human rights were violated during the investigation process at the hands of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Dr M to officiate second Perkasa rally
Meanwhile, Ibrahim announced that Perkasa’s second national gathering will take place on Feb 26 at Pasir Salak, Perak which is the site of JWW Birch’s slaying by Maharajalela and his assistant Sepuntum in 1874.
Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad will officiate the event that is themed ‘Bersatu teguh, becerai roboh (together we stand, divided we fall)’.
Ibrahim expects about 15,000 people at the event several speakers would be talking about the Malay and bumiputera economic agenda.
“This will bring awareness for the Malays and the bumiputera. It is about Malay rights. It is not racist but (an attempt) to bring the nation together and (ensure) everyone gets a fair share,” he said.
The event will be the second major Perkasa rally organised since September last year.
Malaysian Police – When is it enough?
On the one hand this is unbelievable but on the other hand, this is not entirely unexpected in Malaysia. See this youtube clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl8xhoarNVc
Die to Live
One of my favourite television programs of all time is the Band of Brothers. My favourite episode in that series concerns a Lieutenant Spiers. In that episode, Easy Company had emerged from a torrid time in a forest in Bastogne under freezing conditions. They were asked to take over the little town of Foy from the Germans. Easy Company was under the charge of an ineffectual commander and couldn’t break through the German lines until Spiers stepped up and took over. Spiers stepped up, took command and lead from the front. He blazed through and ran from one vantage point to another, methodically and courageously picking out snipers and artilleries. His brave feats lead Easy Company to complete victory and overcame the enemy.
Later as the men took a well earned rest, someone asked Spiers how he did it. What was his classic reply? He said:
The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you’re already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you’ll be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function: without mercy, without compassion, without remorse. All war depends upon it.
To function as a soldier, one has to accept that he is already dead. The sooner that acceptance occurs, the better you’ll be able to function.
Dying to self is essential to effective function. He is no fool to give up what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose. These were the words of Jim Elliot the missionary who gave up his life in Ecuador.
The Bible has always taught giving up of self. The elevation of self is the greatest lie the devil perpetuated to continue to suppress man and deny him the fullness of life that self sacrifice was meant to bring. Leave the 99 sheep behind to seek that one lost sheep and forgetting the nine coins in order to find the one which is lost. Giving up what we have – which we can’t keep – to find the greater gift given by God – which we can’t lose.
The devil seeks to stoke our egos, our self. Genesis 3:4 has the serpent saying to Eve
4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Elevating man to the status of God seems on the surface, to be fulfilling man’s “purpose” but in fact is the death knell that sees man separated from God. To truly live, the self is to first die.
To move forward, one is asked to first lay down himself to the extent of death. Jesus has shown us what this means. In John 12:23
23Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
We are asked to remember His death for our sake and to seek to forget ourselves and focus on Him. Let us embrace the Copernicus revolution and accept we are not at the centre of the universe – God is. Let us see things from the perspective of God’s Kingdom and His purpose for His Kingdom. For only then can we be one as His family, as He commanded us to be.
Ante 